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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has a caveat when it comes to evaluating second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Speaking after the team’s practice on May 30, Campbell warned reporters not to get too far ahead in evaluating Hooker’s progress and remember that this is essentially the start of his full participation with the team. As such, the Lions head coach is tempering expectations.
“You just need to see growth,” Campbell said.
Lions Head Coach Happy With Hendon Hooker’s Progress
As The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy noted, Thursday was a mixed bag for Hooker. The former Tennessee quarterback struggled at times with his ball placement, sometimes bouncing balls in the dirt, and had difficulty in putting the right touch on his passes, Pouncy reported.
Still, Campbell was focused more on seeing improvement from Hooker, who spent the majority of last season on the reserve list while recovering from a torn ACL.
Detroit Lions backup QB Hendon Hooker says his goals during training camp are to continue to gain confidence and master the offense.
He said he’s “Just playing free like I was at Tennessee”
“There was some improvement yesterday that we had really been looking for, and you felt a little bit of — there’s some development there that was really good to see,” Campbell said. “Just some of his reads, some of the throws he made, so yeah. It’s hard to put a timeline on things. Every player grows at a different level and especially at that position. The quarterback position now, we put a lot on those guys, and he’s got a lot.”
Campbell also reminded reporters that despite spending a season working with the team’s coaching staff in a limited manner, this is essentially Year 1 for Hooker. He was able to join the active roster late last season, but served as the team’s emergency quarterback and never took the field.
“It’s a reminder that this is his first spring. This is the first time he’s been through spring, it’ll be his first training camp,” Campbell said.
After veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater opted for retirement this offseason, the Lions are expected to go forward with Hooker as the No. 2 behind Goff.
Uncertain Future for Talented Quarterback
Since the Lions drafted Hooker in the third round last year, the team’s quarterback situation has gotten significantly more clarity. Hooker was floated as a potential successor to starting quarterback Jared Goff early in the 2023 postseason, but the veteran Goff now has that position locked down after leading the Lions to within one game of the Super Bowl and earning a $212 million contract extension.
With Hooker’s ascension to a starting job likely blocked short of a long-term injury for Goff, some analysts believe he could become trade bait for the Lions. Pouncy speculated that the Lions could consider that option at some point in the future, though likely not this season.
“The Lions drafted him to be a high-upside backup with starting potential if needed, but now that he’s blocked by Goff for the foreseeable future, could a trade down the road be the best way to maximize his value?” Pouncy wrote for The Atheltic. “It’s an interesting discussion. Probably not one for the 2024 season, but perhaps when we get deeper into his rookie contract.”
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Lions HC Issues 5-Word Statement on Second Year QB’s Progress